British Consular Officers are unable to give authoritative information on marriage laws in Greece.  In the case of Registry Marriages such advice should be obtained from the relevant Mayor’s Office or the President of town communities - or in the case of a church marriage, from the priest or minister of the church where the marriage will be held.  

In general, the Greek authorities require Certificates of No Impediment, full birth certificates and evidence of dissolution of previous marriages for all British citizens intending to marry in Greece.

Certified Greek translations of full birth certificates and evidence proving that any previous marriage(s) has / have been dissolved (e.g. Decree Absolute Divorce Papers or Death Certificates) are essential.  Please read relevant paragraph on this page setting out the procedures to be met for legalising and for obtaining official translations of these documents.

Applications for Marriage Licences, accompanied by all relevant documents, should then be made to the local Municipalities or Town Halls. This procedure normally takes 8 days after which a specific marriage date can be arranged.

Greek Registry marriage

For a Greek registry marriage (e.g. a civil marriage in a Greek Municipality or Town Hall), British nationals resident in Greece should apply to the British Consular Authorities in Greece for their Certificates of No Impediment.

These certificates are issued 22 days after applicants have sworn an affidavit or signed a declaration at the nearest British Consulate to the effect that no impediment to the proposed marriage exists. Such applicants must be resident in the relevant Consular district for at least 21 days immediately prior to their application.

There is a  Consular fee for Receiving Notice of an Intended Marriage and for issuing in Greek a certificate that no impediment to an intended marriage has been shown to exist, (please see Consular Fees list). Alternatively, on production of Certificates of No Impediment issued by Registrars in the United Kingdom, British Consulates in Greece will issue the equivalent Greek document. There is also a cost for this service. Please see Consular Fees list.

In the United Kingdom, Certificates of No Impediment are issued to UK residents by local Superintendent Registrars after 15 days notice has been given.

Greek Orthodox Church marriage

If a wedding is to take place in the Greek Orthodox Church, it is important for the Greek Orthodox partner to gain information from the priest of the church where the wedding will take place.

The non-Orthodox British partner, who is of the Anglican faith; Church of England, Church of Scotland, Protestant, Presbyterian or Methodist, should contact the Anglican Church Authorities regarding the issue of a Certificate of No Impediment.

For all regions of Greece, except Corfu, please direct your enquiry to the Chaplain of St Paul’s Anglican Church.  For Corfu, contact the Chaplain of the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Corfu (see below table for contact details).

Church of England (Anglican) Wedding or Blessing of Marriage in Greece

There are four Anglican Churches in Greece – in Athens, Corfu, Patras and Kefalas, which is near Chania in Crete.  Premises are made available in Thessaloniki.

Within certain circumstances it is possible to have an Anglican wedding in one of these churches. Since Chaplains of the Church of England cannot act as a registrar in Greece,  it is necessary that such weddings are preceded by a civil marriage.

Enquiries about a Church of England (Anglican) wedding or a Blessing of Marriage should be addressed by the couple themselves (not through a wedding planner) to a Chaplain at one of the following:

Athens
St Paul’s Church
Tel No  (+30) 210 721 4906.
Email: anglican@otenet.gr

Corfu
Holy Trinity Church
Tel No  ( +30) 266 103 1467
Email: holytrin@otenet.gr

Patras
St Andrews (αdministered through Athens)

Crete
Kefalas, Chania, Crete  
Tel No  (+30) 282 502 3270
Email:  kritilanes@yahoo.co.uk

Thessaloniki (administered through Athens)

Certified translations

Documents emanating from foreign countries (including Britain) which are to be used in Documents emanating from foreign countries (including from Britain) which are to be used in Greece must be officially legalised with the Hague Convention 'Apostille' (available for British public documents from the Legalisation Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Norfolk House (West) 437 Silbury Boulevard, Milton Keynes MK9 2AH, telephone no if overseas: 0044-207-0085959  & if in the UK 037-0002244.). Such documents will then need to be officially translated by a Greek Consulate abroad (including in Britain) or, if in Greece, by the Translation Bureau of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs at:  Arionos 10, Psyrri 105-54 Athens, tel: 210-328 5713/6. (Working Hours: 09.00- 13.00).

In areas of Greece outside Athens you should check if there is a local recognised translation facility accepted by the Greek authority concerned. Click here for the five Consulates around Greece and their contact details.

Nationality

• Women marrying Greek nationals do not acquire Greek nationality by reason of marriage.    Foreign (including British) nationals, who are legally resident in Greece, are eligible to apply for naturalisation as a Greek national either through residence or through marriage and parallel residence.
• Specific legislation on Nationality matters is only available from the Greek authorities. In Athens, applications for nationality should be made to the Nationality Division of the Greek Ministry of Interior, Decentralization and E-Government.  In other areas in Greece such applications are made at the Region, (Self-administered Regional Government Department) of the area where the person is resident or where the marriage took place.  Marriage to a Greek national does not cause a woman to lose her British nationality.
• A Greek woman who marries a British citizen does not automatically acquire British citizenship through marriage. However, she may apply to be naturalised as a British citizen after 3 (three) years’ of residence in the United Kingdom provided the marriage sustains. A Greek woman who marries a British Overseas Citizen is unable to acquire her husband’s citizenship.
  

Children

Children born in the United Kingdom will be British Citizens at birth if either parent is a British Citizen or is ‘settled’* in the United Kingdom.  Children born in the United Kingdom of a Greek father will acquire Greek nationality.  Similarly, children born after 8 May 1984 in the United Kingdom of a Greek mother will also acquire Greek nationality, if they are registered with the Greek authorities.

Children born in Greece of a British Citizen parent who was born in the United Kingdom will be British Citizens by descent.  

(* ‘Settled’ means being ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom without being subject under the immigration laws to any restriction on the period for which that person may remain.)

Consular Fees list

Marriage Overseas – British Nationals

• We cannot undertake to give any information as to the formalities to be gone through in the case of marriages according to local laws overseas. To find out exactly what you need to get married overseas, you will need to contact the authorities of the relevant country.

Validity in the Laws of the United Kingdom  

• We cannot advise if an overseas marriage is valid in the UK and would recommend persons seeking such advice to consult a lawyer.  However, generally speaking if a ceremony is considered legal in the country where the ceremony was performed it is likely to be legal in the UK.

Depositing Marriage Certificates in the United Kingdom (Foreign marriages only)

• You are unable to register an overseas marriage in the UK. As a general rule, as long as your marriage is valid and legal in the country in which it took place, it is likely to be recognised in the UK. If you are in doubt as to the legality of your marriage, please consult a solicitor. You can deposit your marriage certificate for safe-keeping with the General Register Office (GRO) for England and Wales; Scotland or Northern Ireland as appropriate. The procedure is for the British party to give or send to the Consul in whose district the marriage took place a certified copy of the entry in the local Marriage Register issued by the appropriate authority in the foreign country with an English translation. The Consul must be satisfied that the certificate or extract is authentic and that the translation is accurate. On payment of the relevant fee he will certify the translation and send the documents to the Registrar General. The original marriage documents will not be returned but, once they have been deposited in this way, certified copies will be obtainable from the appropriate Registrar General whenever required, on payment of a fee.
  
• It should be clearly understood that there is no legal obligation to have a marriage deposited in the manner described above. The parties may take advantage of these facilities if they consider that it would serve some useful purpose. However, depositing the certificate will not grant any validity in English law of a marriage contracted in a foreign country.

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